Eight killed in Somali violence
September 30, 2007

At least eight people were killed in separate attacks in Somalia Sunday, witnesses said, a day after the president summoned top security officers and ministers to discuss worsening violence.

Unidentified gunmen shot dead three civilians in Mogadishu's notoriously dangerous Bakara market, where the Islamist-led insurgency frequently ambushes Somali police patrols, witnesses said.

Four others were killed in internecine violence sparked by clan rivalry in the Lower Shabelle region of southern Somalia.

"The dispute is about a piece of land where charcoal is burned," Haji Ali Bidaye, a local elder, told AFP. "The four were shot dead as they were burning charcoal. Tension is rising."

A government soldier was also killed in northern Mogadishu, a witness said.

"The officer was on duty when he was killed," said Mohamed Hassan.

President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed held talks with senior government officials in Mogadishu Saturday to shore up a crackdown on insurgents who have waged deadly hit-and-run attacks against government targets since an Islamic movement was defeated at the start of the year.

"There are ... moves to crack down on the violent people in Mogadishu and the president discussed these with his security commanders," a senior government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"But it seems that a difficult task is ahead."

Government forces backed by Ethiopian troops and African Union peacekeepers have failed to stop the daily bloodshed that has plagued the seaside capital for months.

Somalia has lacked an effective government since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991, touching off a deadly clan-based power struggle that has defied numerous efforts to restore stability.

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Source: The Associated Press

 
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